West Africa

Dozens of children who were kidnapped by gunmen in north-west Nigeria nearly two weeks ago have been freed. In a video, the governor of Zamfara state is shown with some of the male and female students from a state-run secondary school in Maradun District, BBC News reports. They were seized …

After the attack on a prison center by gunmen on Sunday, at least 240 prisoners escaped, officials from Kogi state in Nigeria said. Nigeria’s prison service said a large number of heavily armed attackers arrived at the prison and fought a fierce gun battle with the guards. Read also: Somalia: …

In Guinea, leaders of the coup that overthrew president Alpha Conde have made available to the population a toll-free number to denounce and report any abuses by security forces. The number 100 is available to all telephone operators in Guinea. The junta announced a four-day consultation programme with different groups …

The African Union’s Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security announced on Twitter that it is suspending Guinea’s membership after the coup that overthrew President Alpha Condé. #AUPSC:Council,in accordance w/ z relevant #AU instruments,decides to suspend the Republic of #Guinea from all AU activities/decisionmaking bodies;Calls on #UNSC to endorse z …

A video that appears to show US soldiers driving among crowds of people in the Guinean capital, Conakry, has been fueling speculation that America had some involvement in this week’s coup. In the video, people are shouting “freedom, freedom, freedom” and greeting the soldiers who are smiling back. Meanwhile in …

In an interview granted to the British Broadcasting Channel (BBC), the former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf declared that she condemned the coup in Guinea. The former Head of State said she had great confidence in the West African economical and political bloc to find out a solution to the …

Guinea’s coup leaders have ordered banks to freeze all government-related accounts in order to “secure state assets”. According to the putschists, the order affects institutional and individual accounts of the outgoing government. Senior officials of the ousted President Alpha Condé’s government will not be able to access their accounts. The …

Three people working on a farm owned by Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo in south-western Ogun state have been kidnapped by gunmen. Ogun police spokesman Abimbola Oyeyemi confirmed the abductions. The gunmen opened fire on a vehicle transporting the three, before abducting them and running into a forest, BBC News …

The Economical Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has suspended Guinea’s membership on Wednesday following the military coup that ousted President Alpha Conde. During a virtual summit, leaders from the West African political and economical bloc demanded a return to the constitutional order and Conde’s immediate release. They also agreed to …

Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni has condemned the military coup in Guinea. He called the coup leaders to get out and said that the takeover was a “step backwards”. “They should be told to get out because they are not the solution for the country,” Mr Museveni told France 24. “We …